Head or Heart?

Read Jeremiah 31:27-34

There are really only two kinds of religion, however many there may seem to be.

1. There is religion based on head-knowledge. Jeremiah points back to when God had given the Israelites His commandments (v.32). From then on, they knew (with their heads) what was right and what was wrong. Whatever God had said, "you shall..." was right, and whatever He had said, "you shall not..." was wrong. Many Christian people today live by a code that goes something like this: "You shall help your neighbor, be faithful to your husband or wife, give your children a good start in life, do your duty to God," and so on. The trouble is, with the best will in the world, they break their own rules (v.32).

2. There is religion based on heart-knowledge. When Jeremiah talked about the "new covenant" (v.31), he was looking ahead to the cross of Calvary. Read Matthew 26:28 where Jesus claims that His blood is the sign of a new covenant - a new way of knowing God. Now, notice: Christ's way is not just a matter of obeying new rules and trying one's best. As a Christian, I have the Lord in my heart! Now, read Jeremiah 31:33 and 34, and ask yourself whether this is your kind of religion.

Prayer: I pray, Lord, for all who have never invited Christ into their hearts. Show them the true and living way; through the blood of Jesus. Amen.

Image: Moses and the Ten Commandments - the Old Covenant.